Maybe I am just getting older and my time has become more precious, or maybe it's just the nature of the modern MMO, but recently I have really started to lose my passion for MMO's. In the glory days of FFXI, I loved the game for its vibrant world that felt alive. It was a world that I simply wanted to log into and exist in. It wasn't so much about what I was doing in game, but more so just being a part of the world and existing in the environment. In modern MMO's such as FFXIV, the environments can look breathtaking, but at the same time feel devoid of life. FFXIV is seemingly turning into an incredibly large and beautiful instance lobby server. As if the entire world is just a waiting ground for the next que to pop.
I am also growing tired of the “daily“ system of modern MMO's. While their design is intended to help more causal players keep up with the hardcore players, for me, it makes the game feel like a job. I feel like I have to log in each day and do x,y, and z, otherwise I lose the opportunity to stay on pace with other players. Having such restrictions placed on my free time and how I want to play the game is stressful and just takes the fun out of the game. I do have the awareness to realize that much of this issue lies with how I am mentally approaching the game, but in my experience falling too far behind the community at large extremely limits what you are able to participate with in game.
I logged in just once last week, and when I logged in I immediately qued for the high level DR. Pharos Sirius popped four times in a row. The first three times everyone dropped from the party immediately, without so much as a hello, as soon as they saw what instance popped. The 4th group decided to stick it out, but had a BRD that was a first-timer and was having a hell of a time with the instance. We did our best to help him along and teach him all of the fights, but he just wasn't up to the task on Siren. We eventually timed out on Siren, and then I just sat there and realized that I had wasted 2 hours of my life and accomplished absolutely nothing. I didn't even enjoying running the instance. I was just doing it because I had to earn tomes. It was like work.
I would love to feel differently and hope that someone is able to set me straight here, but I feel my passion for this game and for MMO's in general fading fast. Without the feeling of immersion in the world and story, the game has no meaning. I just processed my preorder for Lightning Returns and am hopeful it will serve as a nice respite from FFXIV.
Edited, Jan 26th 2014 10:57pm by DrCapricious